Larry Hughes and His Beard: Still Mad

In case anyone was still keeping track, or cared in the least: “Apparently, the veteran guard has no plans of trimming his facial hair until he is traded, released or is playing regularly again for the Knicks, the latter of which Hughes is convinced will never happen. ‘I’m not going to play,’ he said in a whisper. ‘I know that.’ Hughes seems more distraught and confused than angry following a month that saw him log 15 minutes over two games. Hughes’ fate seemed clear over the weekend when Mike D’Antoni curiously played Jonathan Bender ahead of him with the team’s best reserve, Al Harrington, sidelined with a sore left knee. Sure, Hughes may not be an All-Star but there is little doubt that he could provide more than Bender. In consecutive road losses to the lowly duo of Washington and Minnesota, Bender shot a combined 0-for-5. While Harrington rested, the Knicks’ bench scored a total of 31 points against the Wizards and Timberwolves on 12-for-43 shooting. Hughes was the only available Knick who didn’t play. ‘(My frustration) is as high as it’s going to get,’ he said. ‘I can’t get any more frustrated than I already am.”’